Valentine's Day Disaster
by Lost Girl 02
Summary: This is not you're average Team Valentine's Day story. When the team is forced to confront their greatest weaknesses and fears, will their true nature prevail, or are they stuck in a never-ending nightmare? Rated T to be safe. (very, very mild Teen)
1. Chapter 1: The Call

**So this idea has been in my head for quite some time now. Sorry if the beginning is a little too much fluff. I promise there will be a plot, but this is mainly a Chalant story but there will be SuperMartian, Spitfire, and AquaRocket appearances. It's set the February after the season 1 finale.**

**Enjoy!**

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**_Mt. Justice_**

**_February 12_**

"Are you excited for Friday, Conner?" M'gann asked, her brown eyes twinkling against her green skin.

"I don't know," Conner replied, his bright blue eyes, looking unflinchingly at his girlfriend. "What's on Friday?"

"The Valentine's Day dance at our school, silly," M'gann giggled, giving her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek.

"Oh, then yeah. I guess so."

"Come on. It's the only remotely interesting thing that's happened since New Year's."

"Don't remind me, I think I'm still recovering from that disaster."

_Robin B-01_

_Kid Flash B-03_

_Artemis B-07_

"Hey guys," M'gann waved to their friends as they shook the snow off their coats and boots.

"It's freezing outside," Robin said, brushing the snow out of his floppy, dark hair.

"Yeah," Artemis agreed, rubbing her arms. "The last time it was this cold out, five ice villains were behind it!"

"Well maybe we'll get a mission soon, beautiful," Wally said, kissing her on the nose, his face almost as red as his hair.

"Too much aster not enough _dis_aster for me," Robin agreed.

"Team," Batman's voice emanated over the speakers. "Report to the mission room. Now!"

"What'd I say?" Wally said, running out of the room at full Kid Flash speed.

"I forgot how much I hated it when he does that," Artemis sighed to no one in particular as they all trudged out of the room.

In the large cavern at the center of the mountain, all of the team had wandered in from their assorted hang-outs. The entire team was composed of: Zatanna, Rocket, Aqualad, Robin, Miss Martian, Superboy, Kid Flash, and Artemis.

A holographic video feed of Batman appeared in the center of the cavern. "A small virus has infiltrated the Watchtower and has incapacitated some of the more...vulnerable members of the League. Stay in the Cave for the remainder of the incursion. Someone will contact you with further instructions."

The video feed blinked out, leaving the team standing in stunned silence.

"What does he mean?" Robin asked indignantly.

"It means we're still just a bunch of kids to them," Zatanna said bitterly, tucking a piece of black hair behind her ear.

"Since when do they not trust us with the details of a mission _they themselves_ brought to our attention?"

"Since we're...going to be staying here," Kaldur interjected diplomatically. "What should we do?"

"Ohh!" M'gann squealed excitedly. "We should have a camp-out! You know, just inside. I've never had one here on Earth."

"Sure I'll help you get some stuff," Zatanna replied.

"Wally and I should call our parents," Artemis said worriedly. "They should know that we're staying overnight."

"I'll be right there," Wally called.

"I'm off to help M'gann and Zatanna with the gear," Rocket said, flying off to the back of the Cave.

"We will need food for the night," Kaldur said, making his way to the kitchen.

"I'll show you where some stuff is. M'gann rearranged," Conner said, following Kaldur.

"Who would've guessed?" Wally mused, watching the blonde archer walk away.

"What?" Robin smiled, "You and Artemis? I could've told you that months ago!"

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**I guess that's a lot of fluff, but the plot is definitely about to make a huge entrance. Please comment with any reviews or suggestions, criticisms, rants on how YJ was unfairly canceled : D**

**I should be posting the next chapter pretty soon.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Fight

**Here's the next chapter. I don't really have that much of an intro, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: no, I do not own Young Justice etc.**

**Enjoy!**

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_**Mt. Justice**_

_**February 12**_

"Dude," Wally practically shouted at the smirking Robin. "What about you and the Mistress of Magic? I could've told you that in when she first came to the team!"

"What!" Robin said, caught off-guard. "Zatanna? Nothing is happening, I don't want her to get hurt."

"Come on Rob," Wally sighed. "I distinctly remember a certain New Year's kiss. Hmm?"

"It...it was a surprise. It never should've happened."

"Really? A mistake? That's a completely bogus excuse and you know it. And don't give me that '_it's too dangerous'_ line either. She's on the team; she can take care of herself."

"I'm not going to take that risk!" Robin shouted, "I won't put her in danger like that."

"Dude! You know you are allowed to do something for yourself once in a while? You know, just to make yourself happy."

"Well, what's better K.F.? Having joy in your life for a little bit but then have the person you care most about hurt or _killed_? Or saving yourself the ultimate heartbreak and keep your distance to keep them safe?" Robin shouted.

"No brainer. Pick the girl! Nothing is going to happen...but if you're going to be so stubborn and _immature_ about this! You'll have nothing else in your life to give you happiness if you keep gong on like this."

"What is going ON?" Zatanna demanded, marching in between Wally and Robin.

"You know what," Robin retorted, ignoring Zatanna. "If that's what you think, then I guess I'll get my big, immature face out of your way!"

"I didn't..." Wally said as Robin walked out of the main cave.

"What happened?" M'gann asked, levitating camping supplies. "What's wrong?"

_Wally and Robin got into a fight_. Zatanna said telepathically to M'gann.

"I should go..." Wally started but Artemis stopped him by putting her hand on his arm.

"I'll go talk to him," Zatanna said. "You two need some room to cool off."

* * *

Robin flung the door to the gym open so hard, it slammed against the wall. He stalked over to the uneven bars, kicked off his sneakers and jumped up to the high bar, with the grace of only a life-long acrobat could.

He did a couple of flips, just to get warmed up. Then, he tried a handstand at the top of the bar. Sweat dripped down his face and his dark sunglasses fell off, cracking when they hit the bar and bounced to the floor below.

_Who would come in?_ Robin thought, not caring about his sunglasses.

"Robin?" Zatanna called.

Startled, Robin lost his concentration and swung down; his momentum dragged him to the floor below.

Zatanna yelped as she heard the Boy Wonder fall. "Are you okay?" she asked as the magician rushed over to help him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Robin groaned. "Nothing life-threatening."

Zatanna managed a weak smile as he stood up to face her. However, her eyes widened as she realized his signature glasses weren't on.

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**What will happen now that Robin's identity is out? Stay tuned! Again, please review with any comments or criticisms.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Mission

**Thanks once again to Zatanna Carrile and PainInSilence for reviewing!**

**Usual disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Enjoy!**

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**_Mt. Justice_**

**_February 12_**

"I'm so sorry," Zatanna said, close to tears. The stress of the fight between the two friends, coupled with her fear of what was happening with the League came crashing down on her all at once. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You know, after your fight with Wally."

When she mentioned the fight, Robin's heart sank as he remembered the topic of his disagreement with the speedster.

He took a deep breath and turned around. If he couldn't trust the girl he really, _really_, liked, how could he trust anyone? Batman always said to keep his identity a secret, but some people were more important than following orders.

"It's okay," Robin said. Zatanna just shook her head and didn't turn around. "I'm ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To tell you," Robin walked around and looked at Zatanna's closed eyes. "I trust you. You can open your eyes."

She opened her eyes and looked into his dark blue ones and grinning face. "Your eyes-" she breathed.

"Yeah, I can trust you. Can't I?" Robin grinned.

"Of course you can Rob-" Zatanna started, before she was cut off.

"Dick."

"Excuse me?"

"Dick Grayson's my real name. Like I said: I trust you."

He told Zatanna his whole story: his family's death at Haly's Circus; Batman's recruitment to become Robin when he was only nine; and everything after. When he finished he let out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. "We should probably get back to the team now."

"Yeah," Zatanna agreed, and they walked of the gym together.

"Here comes Robin and Zatanna!" M'gann called back to the team in the main cavern. "Where have you guys been? We've practically finished setting up."

"Sorry we took so long," the magician apologized. "We kind-of got caught up talking."

"Well it's time for our indoor cook-out!"

Artemis and Rocket pulled Zatanna over to help start the fire. _Thgil a erif!_ She chanted and a spark caught under the grill for the rest of the team to roast hot dogs._  
_

Soon enough, the entire team was chatting among themselves and just relaxing for a bit. Zatanna conjured up a night sky on the ceiling and the team fell asleep gazing up at the shimmering stars.

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**_February_**_** 13**_

Alarm bells shook the cave as an incoming video feed opened and Robin sprinted over the holo-pad trying to get a better video quality. The rest of the team jumped awake in their sleeping bags, M'gann even letting out a small shriek of surprise.

_Everyone wake up!_ Robin shouted through M'gann's hastily formed mind-link.

_We are awake, _Conner said, in an annoyed tone, _It's kind of hard to sleep with those alarms going off!_

_Robin, _Kaldur said, _what is going on?_

_It's an incoming video message,_ Robin explained, _but someone hacked our system to get in, setting off the alarms._

"Batman to cave," a grainy video flickered in and out of focus. "Most of-League-off-don't-Hall of Justice-might-help."

Robin continued to type furiously, heightening the quality of the video a fraction of a second before the video died.

_What was that? _Artemis asked.

_Can you try facial recognition on that last image? _Wally asked.

Robin typed in some lines of code but the system refused to reboot. _Sorry, when they hacked our system they used an untraceable address. I can't bring up the video or even get the system to restart. The cave's zeta tubes are the only tech still working._

_It's fine. But do you think that this has anything to do with the virus Batman was talking about last night?_ Zatanna asked.

_Most likely, _Robin replied, continuing to tap on the holo-pad. _Anyone have a clue on what the virus might be? Or how the video is connected to it?_

_The virus has to be pretty powerful, like the Staro-Tech from a month ago. _M'gann said, going to stand by Conner.

_What about the mention of the Hall of Justice?_ Raquel pointed out, running her hand through her short, spiky dark brown hair.

_It's got to be a trap. _Artemis said, matter-of-factly.

_Oh yeah. Trap,_ Robin smirked. "And that's exactly why we have to investigate."

The whole team looked at each other, then at Robin, and everyone broke out in to smiles. The team was ready for a mission.

"If we're going," Conner said. "We need to be ready. Who knows what could go down in the time it takes us to change."

"I think I can take care of that," Zatanna said slyly. "_Egahc sehtolc otni ruo smorfinu!"_ The spell turned the team's pajamas into their mission outfits.

_I've reprogrammed the zeta tubes to allow a group without having to go one at a time, _Robin stated once the team adjusted to the magical appearance of their uniforms. _But I don't know who might be on the other side; we don't want the tubes shutting down if only half of us is on the other side._

_Miss Martian, _Aqualad said. _Please try and keep the link going for as long as you can. We do not need the enemy overhearing us._

_But wouldn't they already know we're there because of the announcement the computer gives off when zeta tubes are used?_ Artemis asked snarkily.

_Let me try something,_ Zatanna said, moving over to join Robin by the tubes. She playfully elbowed Robin and he stepped back and gave her access to the zeta tubes' control panel.

Zatanna typed a few commands and soon the speakers were offline.

"I'm gonna have to teach you how to hack, Zee," Robin whispered.

"Zee?" Zatanna asked teasingly, and Robin looked sheepish, "I like it...Robin."

_Speakers are now offline,_ Robin announced. _Let's go._

The entire team gathered in one zeta tube entrance and they were soon transported to the back room of the Hall of Justice.

_Is everyone in stealth mode?_ Kaldur asked, before they left the back room. _Good, Robin and M'gann on point. Try to determine if anyone else is here. Superboy and Rocket, can you cover the back? The rest of us are in the middle, be sure to cover all sides._

The entire team nodded as they moved to their positions: Robin and Miss Martian ran-and flew-ahead as Superboy and Rocket positioned themselves behined the group.

After searching most of the Hal, the team hadn't seen a single sign of trouble and they all gathered in the main hallway, under the shadows of the original LEaguers.

_Is this some kind of set up? _Superboy asked angrily.

_I do not believe this was any type of set-up, _Aqualad replied steadily. _Batman does not seem like the type who would do that._

_Does anyone else feel...like something bad is about to hap- _Miss Martian cried out and fainted dead away. Zatanna collapsed but struggled to get to her feet.

"M"GANN!" Superboy yelled, as Robin shouted: "ZATANNA!"

It was no use being quiet anymore. Whomever was there obviously know their presence and the mind-link had gone down when M'gann had been rendered unconscious. Conner quickly scooped up the unconscious Martian in his arms as Aqualad started shouting instructions for the team to get back to the zeta tubes. Robin and Artemis helped Zatanna supported her, despite all of the magicians' protests.

"Get behind me!" Zatanna suddenly shouted, pushing Robin back.

"Come on Zee!" Robin argued, tugging on Zatanna's arm. "We're almost to the tubes."

"It's coming," Zatanna whispered.

What?" The entire team asked, but right then ARtemis and Kid Flash fainted just like M'gann.

"Tectorp ym sdneirf, dleihs meht dna pots eht suriv morf gniturh meht!"

Robin shouted: "NO!" as a huge shield sprang up between the magician and her team.

Whatever Zatanna had shielded the rest of the team from, she absorbed seemingly into her own body. Zatanna started shaking and crying out in pain, but it wasn't enough. The shield fell and the entire team lapsed into unconsciousness.

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**Sorry if the chapter's kind of long but I couldn't figure out a good place to stop. Please read and review!**

**I can't wait to hear all of your feedback!**


	4. Chapter 4: Miss Martian

**Sorry for the long wait, and the cliffhanger. Soo, here's the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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_**Biaylia**_

Miss Martian flew over the sand dunes on the outskirts of the desert nation. She was fighting a squadron of Queen Bee's soldiers while on a recon mission with Superboy.

The soldiers had tanks and fired missiles against the two heroes, but without Psimon's telepathic abilities, the soldiers didn't stand a chance against the two aliens.

Yet as Miss Martian telekinetically destroyed another tank and Superboy landed on a second, reinforcements surged in from the center of Bialiya.

_Superboy! _Miss Martian said telepathically. _We can't let ourselves get overrun. We have to fall back!_

In response, Superboy shouted and jumped away from the soldiers and landed two-hundred feet away.

Miss Martian turned to follow him as a missile streaked towards her. She sensed it coming abut couldn't move far enough away. The heat from the projectile's tail seared in front of her and she cried out and fell to the ground.

The Bialiyan soldiers crowded around M'gann's unconscious form and quickly tied her up. They carried her to a guard's station on the border between Qurac and Bialiya.

"Queen Bee wants her interrogated now!"

The soldiers moved M'gann to a small metal chamber with a single chair and handcuffed her hands and feet to the piece of furniture.

Miss Martian moaned, her eyelids fluttering weakly, trying to adjust to the dark room.

Seeing that their prisoner was stirring, the soldiers quickly lit torches that stood in the corners of the room and the metal chamber became very hot.

When M'gann fully awoke, the interrogator stepped into the room and walked over to where she was sitting. He shook her against the chair and she shot him a scathing look, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Why are you here?" The interrogator snapped in heavily accented English.

M'gann stared defiantly back at the man's face.

"You pesky _heroes_ never come alone, do you? Where is the rest of your petty team?" He pulled on her hair, pushing her head back. "_Where are they?_"

M'gann knew the right thing to do was to stay silent, so she just bit her tongue and didn't answer.

The interrogator on M'gann's hair but nodded to the soldier by the door, who promptly disappeared. "This might loosen your tongue."

On the other side of the glass, the lights turned on and Miss Martian saw Superboy and Garfield Logan strapped onto huge metal tables.

Conner was struggling against his bonds but even his strength was no match. Garfield was crying softly at the ceiling.

"What are you doing to them?" M'gann cried with barely contained rage.

"We are going to try something new, yes? You will tell us where your _team_ is hiding and your purpose here. If you do not comply...well, let's just say that these boys are going to be in a lot of pain. Your choice, my dear."

M'gann knew the risks if she gave in: the team could be captured and executed by Queen Bee and who knows if the interrogator would really keep his word not to harm Superboy and Gar.

The interrogator nodded once more, letting go of M'gann's hair. A soldier on the other side of the glass flipped a switch and arcs of electricity stretched from the tables to the boy's bodies.

They didn't stand a chance.

After two minutes, Garfield went unconscious and M'gann sobbed, tears running down her face.

The electricity stopped and the their bodies went limp, Conner's moans were the only indicator that he still lived.

"Your boyfriend is strong," the interrogator said, walking away from Miss Martian. "But even half-kryptonians have a breaking point. Care to test it?"

She choked on another sob that wrenched through her body as Conner's back arced in an unnatural way. He screamed out in pain so loudly and horrifically that M'gann screamed herself.

"Stop!" She bowed her head. "What do you want from me?"

The interrogator smiled briefly and handed M'gann a piece of paper. "Write down your team's _exact _position. Leave out no details."

M'gann took the paper with shaking hands and wrote down the longitutde and latitude coordinates to the team's position.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the interrogator nodded and the controller turned the dial and Conner's and Garfield's bodies were shocked with high amounts of electricity. Soon after their bodies hung limp on the tables.

"NO!" M'gann screamed. "You _monster_! You promised...!" She broke down into uncontrollable sobs as she watched their still bodies be taken out of the room.

"Fire!" Her attention turned to the interrogator who had just shouted. "Thanks to you, my dear, a missile is now headed to your team's campsite. Why don't you just sit here and wonder about your...special...role in your friend's deaths."

The interrogator slammed the door, leaving M'gann crying, still handcuffed to her chair. She looked out the window with tear-streaked eyes and watched the trio of missiles heading towards the team.

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**Dun, dun, duun. :-) Anyhoo, please read and review, ****_pleas, please_**** review. I love seeing everyone's thoughts on the story. If anyone has any ideas for ****_similar_**** situations, relating to any of the other team members, feel free to comment in the reviews or message me. Adios!**


	5. Chapter 5: Aqualad

**So here is Kaldur's section. Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and reviewing.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned YJ there would be a season 3 :-)**

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_**Posedonis**_

The water outside the Conservatory pavilion was silent as a grave. A few fish swam by, but no Atlanteans could be seen. The Atlantean castle gleamed in the distance.

Kaldur surveyed the empty pavilion. He could have sworn he had seen shadows, flashing from behind the pillars that supported the top of the Conservatory roof. He reached behind him for his water-bearers but his fingers met empty air. Kaldur panicked; his water-bearers had been a part of his training ever since he could remember.

He craned his neck, the holsters for his water-bearers was missing. Thankfully, when he checked his bare arms, his eel tattoos were still etched into his brown skin.

_What am I doing here?_ Kaldur thought. He swam to the edge of the pavilion but a shock of electricity arced to his body. Kaldur winced in pain , but was thankful he could still withstand most electric shocks.

"Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman said, swimming up from beneath the Conservatory pavilion. "Why are you here?"

"I do not know," Kaldur said slowly. "I remember wanting to come see Tula and Garth..."

"Don't you remember?" Aqualad interjected. "Garth has become the _new_ Aqualad. There were multiple complications in the surface world. Batman recommended you to be relieved of command of the team. I offered up Garth to be Aqualad in your stead."

Kaldur ducked his head and his tears dissolved into the water._  
_

Behind him, Aquaman smiled tightly and then Black Manta swam from behind him and waved his hand through the hologram. "Hello Aqualad. Oh, I forgot, you are not the Aqualad anymore."

Kaldur's mind was split: he tried to get into a strategic mindset to fight Manta but his mind was still in shambles from comprehending the fact that he wasn't Aqualad.

"What do you want Manta?" Kaldur growled.

"Oh, I don't want anything from _you_ Kaldur," Manta said calmly. "But I did happen to find these two lurking outside my ship." He nodded to a trooper behind him, and raised his hand.

From beneath the Conservatory four Manta troopers swam up. Kaldur clenched his teeth when he saw an unconscious Raquel dangling between two troopers and when Tula looked up dazedly from between the other two.

"Release them," Kaldur ordered, while trying to figure out how to fight Manta without his water-bearers.

"Why?" Manta asked. "I captured them on a mission for your _previous_ team. They are no longer your responsibility...unless I'm mistaken...do you actually _care_ for these girls?"

Kaldur fought to try and keep the emotions off his face. Manta could not see how much Tula and Raquel meant to him, or else Manta would use them against him.

Manta smirked. He could see the conflict plainly in the boy's eyes. He nodded to the Manta troopers. The troopers restraining the girls activated the electric shocks in their gloves and the girls were shocked awake.

Kaldur's eyes widened, as Tula and Raquel were shocked awake. But his shock turned to anger as Raquel's eyes bugged out and her mouth opened in an attempt to counteract the fear of drowning.

"You're going to kill her!" Kaldur shouted.

Manta laughed coldly at the display of emotion, but jerked his head towards the gasping Raquel. The trooper swam over to Raquel and gave her a breath of oxygen from a hose connected to his tank.

Raquel drank up the air greedily, her eyes lighting up as her brain was re-oxygenated. Her dark brown eyes met Kaldur's pale ones.

_Are you okay?_ Kaldur thought, but then realizing that she couldn't hear him. "Tula! Raquel! Are you..."

"Uh-uh," Black Manta said, flicking his hand to the manta troopers. The girls' captors shocked them again, and Manta himself shot Kaldur with a shock of electricity from his gun.

Kaldur was blasted back a few feet, landing face-down on the stone pavilion and gripping his side. When he glanced at the girls, Tula was hanging limp between the troopers but Raquel was struggling weakly against her captors and trying to hold her breath as long as she could.

"I'm a reasonable man, though," Black Manta said, conversationally.

Kaldur rolled his eyes internally, _Yeah right. Whoa, I sound like Kid Flash._

"My troopers have set up an electrical fence surrounding the pavilion...now don't think of going over it...the electricity surrounds the entire Conservatory. There is no escape."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kaldur shouted, his eyes flicking once again to Tula and Raquel.

"Because, my boy, if you can fight through the barrier you might have a chance at saving your beloved."

_My beloved?_ Kaldur thought. _How does he know that I loved Tula...I did love Tula, but that doesn't mean that Raquel hasn't found a special place in my..._ Kaldur shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. _How am I going to fight Black Manta._

"Ah, I've struck a nerve," Manta said. "I will give you a chance to save them. You have five minutes."

Kaldur steeled his nerves and swam directly for the girls. When he hit the invisible barrier, electricity shocked him all over his body. He gritted his teeth and struggled against the pain shooting through him. Kaldur activated his tattoos and pushed through the electricity.

Manta turned and swam back to his ship. "Bring the girls, hold off the Aqualad."

Kaldur's vision blurred as he watched the manta troopers drag Tula limply back to the ship. His head whipped to the side as he heard commotion.

Raquel was fighting her captors, and finally freed one of her arms. She grabbed the oxygen tank from his back and re-oxygenated her lungs.

He sighed in relief, that was one less thing to worry about; Raquel could take care of herself from here. Kaldur swam over to where the troopers were forcing Tula into their ship.

He kicked the trooper on the right in the base of his spine and punched the other trooper in his helmet. Tula's captors crumpled and Kaldur drew the Atlantean girl into his arms.

"Kaldur," she said weakly. There was a large gash on the back of her head, and blood was trickling down the back of her neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to choose Garth. I loved you the entire time."

The words he had always wanted to hear: Tula loved him. She wanted to be with _him_ not Garth. He took off his shirt and pressed it against the gash in her head, in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"What are you saying?" Kaldur asked in disbelief. He looked up and Manta's ship was retreating into the depths of the ocean. Black Manta was staring him down, or he would be if he wasn't wearing his helmet.

"Kaldur!" A wavering voice called out. Kaldur whipped around, still cradling Tula; Raquel was lying at the bottom of one of her kinetic energy bubbles. The water inside of the bubble was slowly rising, decreasing the amount of air in the bubble.

The manta troopers Raquel had been fighting were drifting, unconscious in the water. But it was not without injury: Raquel was clutching her arm, it looked to be broken, and her clothes as well as the skin beneath it was cut.

"Kaldur," Tula whispered, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek.

Kaldur looked helplessly at the girl in his arms and to the girl he had come to care about, slowly sinking in her own kinetic bubble. It was an impossible choice. He couldn't save Raquel without abandoning Tula.

He gripped Tula against his chest and swam over to Raquel.

Raquel's eyes darted between the distraught look on Kaldur's face, to the way he held Tula so protectively. "You love her," she said simply.

His head snapped up at Raquel's declaration. "But I can't leave you."

"I know," Raquel said, struggling to keep her head above water. "But you can't save me. Unless you can teleport me to the surface."

He hung his head in defeat. For the second time, tears fell from his pale eyes and dissolved into the ocean. "I'm sorry Raquel."

Raquel nodded in understanding, "Go save Tula, you love her much more than you'll ever love...anyone else."

"I do..." Kaldur started, but couldn't force the words out. It wasn't in his nature to be dishonest, and he didn't want to lead Raquel on.

But she did deserve to know. "I cannot love you the same way I love Tula but you hold a special place. Not in the same way I care about the rest of the team. In these past months I have, honestly, come to care about you. And it is the worst feeling in the world for me to leave you here."

Raquel's kinetic bubble disappeared and she swam forward. Her cheeks were puffed out from holding her breath, but she managed to plant a kiss on Aqualad's lips.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her lips.

She nodded solemnly and her eyes closed; a peaceful smile on her face.

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**As always, please R & R. I hope you guys are liking the story. Now this is a weird-ish request: if anyone has any ideas for riddles (for Riddler) please comment in the review section. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6: Superboy

**Oh my gosh,,,,I'm so sorry for the long break in between posts but I've had ****_major _****issues trying to post this chapter. But here you go!**

**Enjoy!**

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**_Washington D.C._**

Cadmus's headquarters in D.C. had been ousted as a front of illegal scientific experiments months ago when the Team was formed. Since then, the above ground facilities-the old Cadmus headquarters-had been renovated into an office building for various parts of the LexCorp staff. But below ground the old Cadmus still thrived and the genomorphs were still being used...and created.

Superboy landed on the roof of the building, shaking it to its very foundation. _Let's hope they didn't hear that._ Superboy thought. _If Double-X thinks I'm here, he'll try and recruit me for his Genomorph City. Plus, the LexCorp goons wouldn't hesitate to call the police...or the military._

Conner dropped down to the ground, as silently as he could. _Why couldn't Kaldur send Robin?_ Superboy crept around the side of the building and crawled through a window to the bottom floor of the building. _I know,_ Conner ranted to himself; Wally's absent chatter left Superboy feeling like he needed to make up for it. _I was raised here. Which means that I know how to find my way around the underground part of Cadmus._

He found the elevator and forced the doors open. The elevator shaft extended for about forty or so floors downwards. Superboy grabbed the elevator cable and swung down for thirty floors until he heard the elevator switch on.

_Great._ Superboy thought, tightening his grip on the cable and skidding to a painful stop. He swung off the cable and grabbed the ledge on floor thirty-two. _What is going on a Cadmus so late?_

He pulled himself up onto the small ledge and pressed himself against the doors s the elevator car rushed past Conner and the lights dimmed in the small shaft. The elevator stopped abruptly and Superboy squinted, barely making out the floor number: 42

_What are they doing? Floor 42 is where I was...made._

Superboy slid the rest of the way down the cable and landed on top of the elevator car. _Great. _Superboy groaned. He pressed himself against the top of the car and found a ventilation shaft. He used his super-strength and tore the vent open. He dropped into the elevator car, grateful that there was no one there.

Conner pulled the elevator doors open and stepped into the underground hallway. The hallway wasn't the normal office hallway, but it looked like it was carved straight out of the earth around it. Superboy shuddered involuntarily when he saw the pulsing membranes that sheltered the G-Gnomes.

His mission was intel: to make sure that Cadmus was being run honestly by Guardian, but apparently there were still genomorphs being created. Which meant that someone was still rogue in Cadmus.

Superboy heard a ripping sound and then a thump. His head whipped around, and saw an elephant-sized G-Gnome emerging from its cell.

_Perfect._ Superboy thought, launching himself at the genomorph. He punched the G-Gnome in the chest with all his strength but the creature only stumbled back a few steps.

_Do you think that you were the only person who learned from our last encounter brother?_

_GET OUT OF MY HEAD! _Superboy thought-shouted.

_You believed that you were different from them. _Double-X continued. _But you are nothing more than a wild animal, waiting for its cage. Or its pod._

_Don't you EVER put me in a pod again! _Conner thought-yelled, forgetting about the genomorph until it was on top of him. "Ugh," Superboy caught the elephant-sized creatures foot, holding it inches above his face.

_Brother, it appears that you have forgotten a crucial part of your heritage._

Shooting pain erupted all over Conner's body at once. His hands loosened on the genomorphs' foot. The pain continued until Superboy's vision tunneled, and his hands fell. The G-Gnomes' foot slammed on is chest but Conner barely registered the pain.

Double-X emerged from the shadows of the hallway, pocketing a small piece of green stone. Smaller genomorphs emerged from their cells and dragged Superboy down the hallway. _You know what to do my brothers._ Out loud Double-X sighed. "I used to think that you were our savior brother. Turns out that was my kryptonite."

* * *

"No, NO!" Conner shouted, banging the glass wall in front of him. "Not a pod. Not another pod!"

_This one is stronger than your previous containment pods._ Double-X said telepathically, standing outside Superboy's pod. _It will not break. Even to your super-strength._

Conner lowered his fists, trying to calm his nerves in order to formulate a plan to escape.

_You will not attempt to escape._ Double-X said, calmly reading Superboy's thoughts. _I can read your mind; I know your every move before you do. If I have a suspicion that you wish to escape, I will terminate Mount Justice._

_Yeah right,_ Conner scoffed. _You don't have that kind of firepower._

_Do not underestimate my telepathic abilities._

Conner laughed. _M'gann and Martian Manhunter couldn't destroy Mount Justice if they tried._

_No, not, I would suspect not. From here, Mount Justice is out of my telepathic range. But there are many missile storage facilities quite within my reach. And it would by excedingly simple for me to persuade a guard to press fire._

_That would do it._

Double-X left the room and two giant genomorphs moved in front of the pod, their eyes staring blankly at the captured teen.

Conner yelled and banged against the glass for what seemed like hours. After a while, he leaned his head back and banged it softly against the pods upright bench. He could barely think-literally-without his home hitting the clouds.

_Great. I couldn't save M'gann form Queen Bee and the Light. And now, I can hardly save the Team from Double-X._ Conner thought defectedly. He closed his eyes, slipping into a sort of stasis; his body and mind rested but he was still faintly aware of his surroundings.

Double-X would keep his word: he wouldn't destroy the cave unless Superboy tried to escape. The bad news: Conner would lose his mind if he stayed in the pod any longer.

_I can feel your conflicted emotions brother._

_Stop reading my mind! _Conner responded, his eyes shooting open.

_You desperately wish to return to your friends, but your...noble side, wants to sacrifice yourself to keep the Cave from being obliterated. But that means you'll have to stay in a pod...for all time._

_That wasn't the deal Double-X!_ Conner started to panic. _I won't try to escape, but that doesn't mean that the Team won't come for me._

_You truly believe that your friends will come for you. But have you ever imagined that maybe they're better off without you? Without your destructive personality on the Team, it will run much more smoothly. They might even be glad you're gone._

_You're wrong Double-X!_ Superboy thought-shouted, but he couldn't stop that inkling of doubt the telepath had planted in his mind from growing and spreading until it consumed his thoughts. _They're better off without me. I'm just an accident waiting to happen. I can't go back now. They're better off without me._

Double-X smiled joyless. _Welcome home Superboy._

* * *

**Whew! Finally it is updated! Superboy was a particular challenge for me because it was difficult to find something that hadn't been done in season 1 *cough* Match *cough.**

**Again, if anyone has any really good riddles (they can just be generic ones) please let me know in the reviews and don't be afraid to message me. Thanks!**


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